The present invention relates generally to golf clubs and, more particularly, to a golf club head having an improved face plate support and performance enhancing center of gravity location.
Many factors must be considered when designing a golf club head. One factor is the distribution of mass about the club head, which is typically quantified by parameters such as moments of inertia (MOI) magnitude and center of gravity (CG) location. Rotational moments of inertia of a club head about the club head CG are measures of a club head's resistance to rotation about the CO and are related to the distribution of mass within the club head about the CG. Generally, it is desirable for a club head to have high moments of inertia about the CG, particularly to promote forgiveness for off-center hits. To achieve high moments of inertia about the CG, designers typically position mass to the periphery of the golf club head and backwards from the face plate. In addition, a club head's CG is spaced from the face plate at a prescribed location to achieve a desired launch angle upon impact with a golf ball. As a result, for wood-type club heads (i.e., fairway woods and drivers), large internal volumes are typically desirable.
In order to maximize the MOI about the CG and provide the face plate with a desirable high coefficient of restitution (COR), it typically is desirable to incorporate thin walls and a light face plate into the design of the club head. Thin walls afford designers additional leeway in distributing mass to more strategic locations within the club head. In addition, the use of a lighter composite face plate in place of a more traditional metal face plate creates additional mass savings that can be distributed advantageously elsewhere. Composite face plates however create design and manufacturing issues because they typically are much thicker than the metal club head, making it difficult to provide a smooth transition at the interface between the head's thin supporting wall and thicker composite face plate, especially in the crown area. In making this transition, the thin supporting wall typically undergoes a reverse angle due to the geometry at the interface, complicating the casting process when the club head body is manufactured.
Also, one significant drawback of the industry's conventional approach of trying to maximize MOI about the CG to promote forgiveness and greater ball speed during off-center ball strikes is that the ball tends to have undesirably high backspin as the ball leaves the club face (especially in the context of a driver). This means that the ball will balloon and lose distance.
It should therefore be appreciated that there exists a need for a golf club head having a composite face plate (or face insert) and other design features that facilitate better performance and durability, impart less backspin to the ball, provide a smooth transition between the main body and face plate, free up discretionary mass to be strategically distributed elsewhere, and improve the manufacturing process.